They did some fabuloso pageant thing.
With lots of fancy flag waving
and tossing.
And some drumming that was really good and very very loud in the medieval stone piazza.
At which the local parish priest [winner and still champion of the annual Italian Ugliest Stole Tournament] gave some blessings to the big candles carried in
[Cortona Mayor: "Dude, what is up with that stole?"]
by some Important Looking People dressed in
(quasi)medieval clothes.
And actual chain mail. (The footwear was very impressive)
It was cool. (In a kind of Italian exhaustingly hot way.)
And then a kind of holy death-march up the hill to the cathedral for Mass.
On the way up the hill, the nice little nuns who still run the hospital founded by St. Margaret.
The view from half way up. Waaaaaay off in the distance, you can see a body of water. It was there that Hannibal lost some important battle to the Roman legionaries. A good thing.
One of two rest stops along the route. The angle is not a function of the way I'm holding the camera.
Looking back down the way we've come.
During the Mass, they uncover St. Margaret for the veneration of the faithful.
Yep, an actual dead, incorrupt medieval saint.
How Catholic is that?!
On the "road" that leads back to the town. Nice pointy stones. Good an penitential.
Beautiful medieval stone houses.
More pics here and here.
We don't have anything even remotely like that here in Oz. No wonder if we are a bunch of poor little Colonial Oiks.
ReplyDeleteBut what excuse do the Italians and Europeans have? All this Incarnational Faith around them but they just want to shit all over Christ and His Church, marriage, family and the common good! Can't even be bothered having more than 1.3 babies.
Lord, have mercy.